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FINISHED! Mojo Rei-sen - Tamiya Mitsubishi A6M2


tomv87

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Allright...

 

 

It looks damn mighty sweet Tom, as i see it, full control of the build and in control progress, sometimes better to shift down innthe gear to take it little skower as it shure always pays of in the end instead of rushing....

 

Also Tamiya kits...oh boy the are indeed a joy to build....i love em...lol admit i love horrible shortruns aswell but they are different but same...as take it easy and enjoy biilding ;)...

 

Therapy and relaxing when it is best ;).

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Tom....yep i know what you meaning....

 

I do the same during a build next project in mind when im progress (that is when closer to end) and what to do after it is done....hey i think it is common along builders..;)

 

But important in building is not to start...it is to finnish them builds aswell ;)

 

As will keep my eye on this build Tom...yes i love zekes.

 

/ Mal

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  • 3 weeks later...

Okay - thought I would show her with wings attached:

 

IMG_2623_zpsqypcbhrm.jpg

 

IMG_2624_zpsagxst4y0.jpg

 

Sorry for the poor lighting, it was already night when I took these pics.

 

I had originally painted the turtle deck interior green (as per the Tamiya instructions), but since all the research shows that these early Zekes had flat black as the color in this area, I decided to change mine. I also added Archer rivet decals as well.

 

Since I had to repaint this area, I had to protect the cockpit from overspray; lots of stuffing and maskol:

 

IMG_2627_zps9uvst0zp.jpg

 

Here it is painted, but I still need to touch it up. I also painted the canopy frames, and I am in the process of attaching these; dashboard and windscreen attached:

 

IMG_2630_zpsjfy7cwsg.jpg

 

I also need to address the gear bays. They need to be painted exterior camo color. So, I masked the gear attachment points with maskol liquid latex to prep; you can see a little of that (light orange color) on the right gear attachment point:

 

FullSizeRender_zps5gxenzol.jpg

 

That's all for now. I will show more of the gear bay painting next. I have to add a second coat of that exterior color.

 

Also, did anyone have difficulty attaching the antennae on this bird? Test fitting shows that if I glue the antennae first, then put the canopy over it, it changes the antennae angle, and it doesn't retain the correct forward leaning posture. If I put on the back canopy, then try to glue down the antennae, it doesn't line up with the hole in the turtle deck correctly, and of course, it will be leaning back too much.

 

One of three things must happen: the hole in the canopy has to be enlarged, the antennae itself needs to be trimmed down, or the hole for the antennae needs to be moved aft a bit.

 

Can anybody help with this?

 

Thanks for looking!

Tom

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  • 4 months later...

Hello everyone!

 

I have been away for a while, taking care of a multitude of chores, so I put my A6M2 away until I felt I had a good opportunity to work again. Summer is here, and school is out, so it gave me the chance to crack open the old box and continue with my build.

 

Before that happened though, I went with my wife to a beauty supply store...you might think it is boring in there, but look what I found -- several abrasive items, and these cotton buds--they are awesome, with a wide and a pointy end, they sure helped out a lot with my work. The best part is, no fibers are left behind!

 

hmQcYTM.jpg

 

Here they are in the box:

 

Lu3okBH.jpg

 

 

I repainted the wheel wells the correct color (underside color but pre-painted black for shadows) and painted the flaps they way I think they would have looked in December, 1941-- Aotake metal primer, which was exposed to the environment (on the flaps) that would have turned into a darker green color. See examples here:

 

http://colesaircraft.blogspot.com/2014/01/japanese-wwii-aircraft-aotake-primer.html

 

Here's my impression of the look:

 

n3Mpbp6.jpg

 

mgbU9YA.jpg

 

Z18Y6PX.jpg

 

More pics to come.

 

Tom

Edited by tomv87
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Now it's time to pre-shade my Zeke. Naturally I will use a dark gray or black color correct?

 

NOPE. I will use these:

 

hoVTJ3c.jpg

 

 

I decided to use an artistic technique I've used when oil painting. Instead of painting a painting on a blank, white canvas, I always found it better to tint the canvas a color first, usually a complementary color of the main color that will go down on the painting itself -- a painting with a blue sky, for example, I would tint with a light orange color.

 

Since this Zeke is painted a gray-green color, I decided to lay down a red and a green pre-shading to complement and augment the green tint of the gray.

 

 

First green:

 

bkOzLyu.jpg

 

yelrN3k.jpg

 

5HWVEgI.jpg

 

 

No, this isn't a A6M5...

 

Next the red...

 

4OPGjOM.jpg

 

4ullZEg.jpg

 

VI2izCd.jpg

 

Christmas in June! Did I screw up or what?

 

When that red goes over that green, the result is a dark gray color. That's a plus!

 

Wvo6ASH.jpg

 

 

But look what happens when the grey goes on:

 

lhM6eZg.jpg

 

I will post more pics soon, but the finish looks great! The painting took several hours to do, plus do-overs due to dust or hair landing on the surface. It was a real PITA, but I think overall the finish looks great. 

 

There is a slight hint of red here and there that is reminiscent of the undercoating these birds got. And the ever so slight green adds a touch of a color filtering effect. Hopefully you will see the effect in the next pictures I post.

 

I still have a few touch ups, but we'll get there soon!

 

Thanks for looking and great to be back!

Tom 

Edited by tomv87
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Thanks Kev and Spaced Marine. I used Mr. Color 128. Looking at all the research I figured it was close enough, scale wise. I consider Tamiya's 76 too light, but that's just my view. I just like the way it looks; I also love the way Mr. Color paint sprays, it's drying time, and it's durability.

 

OoBz2M6.jpg?1

 

Thanks again for the kind words.

Tom

Edited by tomv87
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  • 9 months later...

Short Update: It has been a long time since i had the opportunity to work on my Zeke, but I finally got the chance to update where it stands.

 

Months ago, during the main paint job, I masked off the tail and rudder so I could paint the flying surfaces--however, when I pulled up the tape, some tape lifted off around the tail. These all had to be sanded back and re-painted. Well it took several attempts to get it all evened out properly, and with some good advice from Mal Belford, I got everything smoothed out for repainting. 

 

I also had some trouble re-riveting the port flap; I kept punching new holes all the way through the flap (very thin plastic).

 

I got this repaired as well, although I still need some rivet holes on that flap. I will see what I can do for next time.

 

Anyway, here's some new pics:

 

ONL4KIw.jpg

 

 

The moveable surfaces still need to be re-painted, but I am giving the top coat plenty of time to dry. I also want to paint on all insignia and stripes, but I am terrified of more lifting  :BANGHEAD2:

 

Here are some shots of the weathered engine.

Front:

JbZLvRb.jpg

 

jHfH4EO.jpg

 

 

And back:

 

jDEHVRu.jpg

 

vQWs4ul.jpg

 

 

More to come soon -- thanks for looking!

 

Tom

Edited by tomv87
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